


Triquetra

by PinkCanary



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Multi, Polyamory, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-16
Updated: 2015-08-25
Packaged: 2018-04-15 01:29:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4587882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkCanary/pseuds/PinkCanary
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Clarke, Bellamy, and Raven are ready to take their people and leave Camp Jaha, but there's something that they have to do first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is? I was working on something completely different, when I suddenly opened up a new document and this happened. It's definitely fluff, because that is how I am coping with the hiatus. WHERE IS CLARKE??? HOW ARE BELLAMY AND RAVEN DOING???
> 
> Takes place at some point several years in the vague future.

The tattoos were nearly identical. 

The very same lines snaking over the inside of their wrists, uniform and homogeneous, despite being freehand poked into their skin by the Trikru artist. Three triangles marking each of their wrists; the symbolic last step to finally declaring their freedom. 

The first step had been finding the location. Near a body of fresh water, within a few days walk to Camp Jaha, not contested by any of the clans. Fertile soil for farming, and plenty of game for hunting. Clarke had gone to Polis herself, to ask the Commander for permission to settle along the river, and permission had been granted, along with trading agreements with the clans in the area. The title “Commander of Death” came with it’s own respect, Clarke had to grudgingly acknowledge.

Their people had already been notified. Everywhere she went, she was met with the eagerly whispered question of, “when?” Monroe was restless, Monty and Miller had already packed. Octavia had been jumpy and on-edge for months. 

When they told the counsel, the three went together. Equals, despite their very different roles at Camp Jaha. Abby had gritted her teeth and remained silent until the very end, while Kane just smiled tightly and agreed that they would not stop anyone who wanted to leave. 

“You’re making an enormous mistake.” Abby said, grasping Clarke’s wrist before she could leave the room. 

“Our only mistake was waiting so long to do this.” Clarke had answered, shaking her hand free, before turning and leaving the counsel chambers without looking back.

The last step had been symbolic. Marking themselves as leaders, bound to each other.

Clarke rested her head on Bellamy’s chest, as the three lay in their low pallet bed in their cabin at Camp Jaha. This would be their last night in this cabin; tomorrow, they would be in a tent again, and Clarke was nearly breathless with excitement at the idea of returning to their _beginnings_. It was late April, and they would hopefully have almost six months to build their new homes, before winter started. 

It was fucking _scary_ , but it also excited her in a way that nothing had since those first terrifying days on the ground.

“Tomorrow…” Raven said, as if reading Clarke’s thoughts. She was idly running her fingers over the tattoo on Clarke’s forearm, and the light contact with the slightly-raised healing skin made Clarke shiver.

“No last-minute cold feet?” Bellamy asked. 

“Fuck, no.” Raven answered, shaking her head. “We haven’t belonged here in years. Actually, I’m not sure that we’ve ever belonged here.”

It was true. Bellamy and Clarke had both been marched into Camp Jaha at gunpoint, when they were desperate to find only _each other_. Raven had been carried in, a bullet in her spine, nearly incoherent with the pain. They had lived there for years, fought alongside the other sky people… but it had never been their home. Not like the dropship had been, ironically enough. 

It was past time to leave.

“I’m going to miss this cabin, though.” Raven said, with a wry grin.

It had been Bellamy’s cabin first, and then Bellamy and Raven’s, and finally Clarke had come to join the two of them. Together, they had spent long nights curled into this very bed, touching and tasting, and chasing away the nightmares that lurked at the edges of the light. Together, they had healed, _bonded_ , to the point where they now a functional trio of leaders, ready to lead their people to their new home. The cabin wasn’t much — walls made of rough logs with the bark still on them, mud slathered between the cracks to keep out the drafts — but it had been theirs. 

Clarke hummed in agreement. She was going to miss this cabin. The rest of the camp was filled with demons, but these four walls had been their _solace_. 

Raven dipped her head lower, pressing a light kiss against Clarke’s tattoo. “Your mom is going to lose her shit when she sees this.” She said, her voice gleeful, as she continued to study the black lines marking Clarke’s skin.

The symbol was called a _triquetra_ , Bellamy had explained, holding the yellowed history book open with one hand while he traced the lines with the other. A Celtic symbol representing growth of the spirit, eternal life, and love that never ends. Three points, interwoven together.

“Some also say that it symbolizes past, present, and future. Creation, preservation, and destruction. Power, intellect, and love.” Bellamy’s lips had turned upwards as he spoke. 

Marriage wasn’t really a thing, not on the ground. Not in the way that it used to be, at least. People still pledged themselves to others, but in private, personal ways. Marriage _ceremonies_ were political things, meant to tie together two clans, to show a combining of force. 

The three of them getting matching, highly visible tattoos was as close to a wedding as they could get, among the Trikru. 

“What my mom thinks is irrelevant.” Clarke pointed out. “Now, more than ever.”

Raven pressed her lips against the tattoo one more time, before nodding against Clarke’s skin. “You’re ours. Now everyone is going to know that.”

“So really, this is not only our last night in this cabin, but it’s also our wedding night.” Bellamy said now, grinning widely. He was threading his fingers through Clarke’s hair, lightly scratching his nails against her scalp, and Clarke was almost embarrassed when something close to a purr slipped from her lips. 

“You’re such a sap, Bell.” Raven said teasingly, before pulling gently on Clarke’s arm, careful to avoid pressing down on the new tattoo. Clarke went willingly, rolling away from Bellamy’s body, and on top of Raven, pushing her down into their rough mattress. Though Raven’s upper body had strengthened over the years, to compensate for the injury to her lower body, she still didn’t have the dexterity that she would have wanted. That hardly ever mattered with Clarke and Bellamy, however, and she was able to manipulate them with just a glance or a gesture. 

Now, Raven was looking up at Clarke, her eyes bright and eager, and she reached both hands up to frame Clarke’s face. “I can’t believe that we’re doing this together.” She said softly, averting her eyes for a second. _Old demons,_ Clarke thought, with just a touch of sadness, before dipping her head down to catch Raven’s lips. 

Let’s face it, Clarke really tried to kiss Raven as often as possible, but this somehow just felt _different_. More significant. Clarke moved her lips slowly against Raven’s, sliding her tongue into her mouth when she opened it almost instinctively, and using it to stroke Raven’s own tongue. The pace was maddeningly slow, and Clarke could feel Raven’s pulse quickening against her own chest. 

When she finally pulled away, Raven was breathless, squirming under the weight of Clarke’s body. They had removed their pants and boots before crawling into their bed, but the last few layers of clothing now seemed like a frustratingly unnecessary barrier, and Clarke pulled back slightly so that she could help peel Raven’s shirt over her head, revealing the tan curves of her torso. Her own shirt followed soon after, along with Bellamy’s.

Raven’s breast was warm and heavy in Clarke’s hand, as she nipped gently along her collarbone, using her tongue to soothe the skin as she moved downward. She pressed soft kisses along the top of Raven’s breast, and Raven let out a gasp, urging Clarke further down toward her dark nipple.

Clarke was so preoccupied with the perfect little sounds coming from Raven — she was letting out the slightest _whimper_ with each shallow panting breath — and the way that her hips were starting to make small searching movements against Clarke’s pelvis, that she didn’t even notice Bellamy moving, until his hands were on her hips, carefully moving her to the side of Raven’s body.

“Teamwork.” He said, with a wicked _smirk_ , before lowering his head down to taste the skin of Raven’s inner thighs.

And teamwork was definitely the word for it. Bellamy licked and sucked and flicked his tongue over Raven’s wet folds, making Raven tense and shiver, as Clarke continued to work her perfect breasts. When he pulled back slightly so that he could watch her face when he slid two fingers inside, Clarke couldn’t help herself, and Bellamy hummed in pleased surprise when she lurched forward to catch his lips with her own.

For several long minutes, they traded off. Taking turns fluttering their tongues over Raven’s clit, and then pulling back to taste her on each other’s mouths. 

_So fucking good_. 

At last (really, after Raven _whined_ desperately when Bellamy gasped, “you taste so fucking good.” against Clarke’s lips), Clarke slipped her hand down between Raven’s legs, lowering her body down on top of Raven’s once more. She buried her face into Raven’s neck, leaving a bruise behind Raven’s ear that would surely be impossible to cover up the next day but, well, the tattoos weren’t the only marks that they had to identify themselves as _chosen_.

As always, Raven was a fucking live wire, squirming and bucking underneath her, and her reaction was making Clarke’s clit throb, desperate for friction of her own. And, as always, Bellamy seemed to know exactly what she needed. He lifted Clarke’s hips, slipping off her soaked underwear, and pushed himself inside her from behind with one quick stroke.

He started off slow and teasing, but his fragile grasp on control was quickly broken when Raven suddenly choked out a gasp, her body tensing under Clarke’s, before erupting into spasms of pleasure. For just a second, Bellamy’s rhythm faltered, and he choked out Raven’s name in a low gasp, as he watched her come apart underneath them. 

Raven was still coming down from her orgasm, whimpering, her eyes screwed up tightly, and Clarke just had to kiss her. It took her a few seconds to respond — Clarke loved it when Raven was _finally_ still and sated — but soon she was kissing back eagerly and slipping her hand down to rub Clarke’s clit. 

It was almost overwhelming. Bellamy was pressed against her back, his cock hitting all the right places with each thrust, and he panted and moaned into her ear desperately. Beneath her, Raven’s body was still wracked by tiny aftershocks that thrust her pelvis right against Clarke’s, and she was circling Clarke’s clit with fast little strokes. She licked her way into Clarke’s mouth in time with Bellamy’s hips and suddenly it just was too much and Clarke had to pull away, burying her face into Raven’s neck.

“Stay with me.” Raven begged, tugging on her hair lightly, and Clarke forced herself to lift her head so that she could look down at Raven’s face. Her eyes were dark and glassy, and the love and contentment that Clarke saw there helped ground her.

“Shit, Clarke, Raven, I’m gonna—” Bellamy gasped out, and Raven suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand where it rested next to her head, twining her fingers with his. 

His thrusts were messy and uncoordinated, but Raven’s fingers were sure, and somehow it was all just _perfect_. Clarke’s orgasm had been building slowly, but it came suddenly, and she snapped her hips backwards frantically to meet Bellamy’s pelvis, letting out a harsh groan that was swallowed by Raven’s mouth. 

It took Clarke a minute to catch her breath, and she pressed her forehead against Raven’s. Their breaths mingled as they both gasped for air, and Bellamy was still panting against the back of Clarke’s neck, their breathing the only sound in the quiet of the cabin. 

“You guys are fucking crushing me,” Raven finally complained, but she was still stroking one hand through Clarke’s hair, and her fingers of her other hand were still twined with Bellamy’s, and Clarke was pretty sure that she didn’t really mind a bit. 

Still, Clarke rolled off of Raven, taking Bellamy with her, so that they were laying on their sides, Bellamy pressed against Clarke’s back as Clarke snuggled closer to Raven in the nest of blankets. It was only as they lay there, Bellamy’s softening cock still inside Clarke, that Bellamy suddenly tensed.

“Fuck, Clarke. I’m so sorry.” He said, and it took Clarke a moment to realize what he was talking about.

Clarke and Raven were both beyond the normal five-year lifespan for their birth control implants, and though Abby had said that she thought that they were probably effective for several more years, they had started taking precautions of their own. Still, old habits died hard.

“It wouldn’t be the end of the world, would it?” Raven started. “I mean, we’re going to be in charge of our own lives from now on, right?”

Clarke turned her head to meet Bellamy’s eyes, and he still looked apologetic, but with the beginning of something that looked like _hope_.

“Whatever the hell we want, right?” Clarke said, soft, and his face broke into a wide grin. He tightened his arms around Clarke and she could see Raven once again tracing the lines of the tattoo on Bellamy’s forearm with her fingertips.

“Whatever the hell we want.” He agreed. 

*

As it turned out, Raven’s birth control implant “expired” before Clarke’s, and they all walked around their new camp smiling like idiots for weeks. 

Until the day, several weeks later, when Clarke suddenly started “sympathy puking” along with Raven. Bellamy was pacing the small space of their new cabin anxiously, but Raven just pulled Clarke down into bed with her, rubbing her back in small soothing circles. 

“We’re fucking good at teamwork, babe.” Raven said, and Clarke couldn’t stop the choked laugh from rising up in her throat, despite the waves of nausea that still wracked her body.

They really were, and Clarke couldn’t wait to face this new adventure together.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If Clarke seems calmer than Bellamy, it’s only because she is better at hiding her terror.
> 
> It used to frustrate Bellamy to no end, when he would be pacing with anxiety and frustration, while Clarke sat perfectly still. There had been a time when he had taken her lack of reaction as a sign that she simply _didn’t care_. It was only after he watched her close her eyes, breath in deeply, and steel herself, that he realized the truth. 
> 
> It was when Clarke was perfectly still that she cared _the most_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triquetra was originally supposed to be a one-shot. But then I got requests for bravenlarke babies. And I WAS NOT GOING TO DO IT. But then [gohandinhand](http://gohandinhand.tumblr.com) and I discovered that we are both great big baby nerds (the pinnacle of the discussion came when we were both getting more and more jargon-y as we headcanoned Grounder babywearing, only to realize that WE BOTH UNDERSTOOD PERFECTLY) and headcanoned at each other for three straight days, and then I wrote the end 1000 words of this fic... and then the rest basically happened.
> 
> I also have like another 2000 words that I had to cut because it was WAY TOO FAR DOWN THE BABY NERD RABBIT HOLE that might end up on Tumblr. We'll see.
> 
> Again, super big mega thanks (with cookies!) to gohandinhand, for being awesome and coming up with so many bravenlarke baby headcanons that made me really super emotional. Some of them ended up in this fic, and others will hopefully never see the light of day. 
> 
> This is definitely the fluffiest thing I've ever written, and I really only ever write fluff. You've been warned.

If Clarke seems calmer than Bellamy, it’s only because she is better at hiding her terror.

It used to frustrate Bellamy to no end, when he would be pacing with anxiety and frustration, while Clarke sat perfectly still. There had been a time when he had taken her lack of reaction as a sign that she simply _didn’t care_. It was only after he watched her close her eyes, breath in deeply, and steel herself, that he realized the truth. 

It was when Clarke was perfectly still that she cared _the most_.

And now, her hands were steady and sure as she threaded her fingers through Raven’s hair, being careful not to wake the other woman. Though Raven was always quick to hide any pain or discomfort, covering up any wince or grimace with her trademark smirk, it was obvious to everyone in the camp that the last couple months of her pregnancy had taken their toll. Her hips and back were a continual problem, and she had been forced to start using her cane just to get around the camp. 

And now? For several days, Raven had been kept awake for half the night, her body wracked by contractions that stopped by the time that the sun came up the next morning. On the first night, she and Clarke and Bellamy had been breathlessly excited. Bellamy would even go so far as to use the word _giddy_. All night, they talked — discussing names as they timed the contractions. They excitedly agreed that they would go and wake Delia, the Trikru healer apprentice that had been sent to live at their camp, as soon as the contractions were down to four minutes apart. However, instead of getting closer together, the contractions had simply gotten farther apart as the hours went on, before stopping altogether. 

By the third night, Raven had laboriously risen from their low bed, batting away Bellamy’s attempts to help. “I’m going to my workshop,” she said, vexed, before disappearing out the door. Bellamy had known better than to follow, but he and Clarke had laid awake for the rest of the night, unable to sleep until she was back safely in their cabin. 

After nearly a week of this routine, Raven was simply exhausted. She had always had nocturnal tendencies, working far into the quiet hours of the night, but it was almost like the anticipation and stress was getting to her more than the sleep deprivation. Bellamy had found the mechanic sleeping in their cabin during the afternoon more often than not.

And where Raven went, Clarke was never far behind, these days. 

Bellamy knew that Clarke was anxious about Raven’s health. Earlier on in their pregnancies, Bellamy had insisted on reaching out to the Trikru for help. Though Clarke was quite proficient at stitching wounds and setting bones, childbirth was simply beyond her skill set. With the small population and strict rules on procreation, births on the Ark had been few and far in-between, and though Clarke had read ever medical text that she could get her hands on, there was simply no substitute for experience. She had raised her eyebrows when the Trikru had sent her Delia, a sixteen year old apprentice. 

“She’s probably seen more births than your mom.” Bellamy had pointed out, effectively silencing Clarke’s protests.

Delia had proved to be a quick study — picking up English and medical procedures with equal amounts of skill. The Trikru had intended for her to be part of a sharing of knowledge. Clarke would teach her what she knew from the Ark, and Delia would teach Clarke what she knew from the ground.

Anyway, Bellamy knew that Clarke was concerned for Raven. Concerned about Raven and the baby’s health, and also simply anxious that she wouldn’t know what to do should anything go wrong. But it wasn’t only that concern that caused Clarke to spend her afternoons curled around Raven’s body — as much as she still could, with her own expanding belly. 

The pregnancies had simply brought the two women closer together, to the point where they were now virtually inseparable. 

Bellamy couldn’t help smiling fondly as he watched Clarke fiercely looking after the other woman as she slept. It was a lot — a whole lot — but he almost felt ready for it.

“You two are thinking so loudly that it’s impossible for a girl to sleep.” Raven grumbled, without opening up her eyes. 

Bellamy chuckled, but Clarke only tightened her arm over Raven’s belly. 

“I’m going to be pregnant forever,” Raven groaned, rolling on to her back with some effort. 

“Delia says that the contractions starting and stopping is totally normal. That they’re still _doing something_ , even if it doesn’t feel that way now.” Clarke said, carefully.

“Yeah, she says that it’s going to be any day now.” Bellamy added, with an encouraging grin. 

“You hear that, baby? What do you think about tonight?”

*

It wasn’t that night, or the night after.

However, _finally_ , after three more days, Raven burst back into the cabin a few minutes after she had given up on sleep.

“My water broke.” She said, breathless, her face lit up in a wide grin, and Bellamy and Clarke were suddenly wide awake. “Fuck. All over my workshop.” She grimaced.

After that, everything happened quickly.

Raven had never been one to waste time, and so it shouldn’t have surprised anyone that this would be any different. Within a couple hours, Raven had gone from joking and talking through the contractions, to swaying slightly on her hands and knees, as Bellamy helped support her weight over her hips. Her face twisted in pain as she panted and moaned with each contraction.

“I’ve had worse.” She joked, but Clarke still felt fucking useless as she watched Bellamy support Raven through another contraction, rubbing circles into her back. 

The truth was, Raven almost seemed to be a natural at this. Delia had made a few suggestions for positions that might help, but Raven just seemed to know instinctively how to move in order to deal with the pain, and help move the baby into the right position. 

_It’s amazing_ , Clarke thought, even as she tried to temper her feelings of dread at the idea that it would be her in this position in just a few short weeks. She hoped that she did half as well as Raven.

And when Clarke finally held the infant — a tiny perfect little girl, as Raven had been insisting since almost the beginning — she felt her eyes cloud with tears, first in relief, which was quickly replaced with a surge of love and awe that shocked Clarke with its intensity. 

“I just pushed her out of me. Do you think I could have a turn holding her?” Raven later grumbled, as they all lay in their bed together. But her wide smile and delighted eyes betrayed her. 

“In a few minutes.” Clarke couldn’t stop staring down at the tiny child. Biologically Raven and Bellamy’s, but _hers_ , just as much as the baby still within her own body. 

“Well, if you won’t even let me hold her, I think I should at least get to name her.” 

“That seems fair.” Clarke said absently, rubbing her cheek over the soft skin of the infant’s head. Seriously, it was the best thing that Clarke had felt in her entire life.

Raven was grinning in excitement. Despite everything that she had been through in the last few hours, she seemed to have more energy than she had had in months. “She’s the daughter of the leaders of the first people to come down from space in almost a hundred years.” Raven declared. “She needs a name that will remind her of where we came from.”

“It’s your choice, but I would suggest that there are some planet names that would be awkward for a child to grow up with.” Bellamy teased.

“I’m thinking bigger than that.” Raven’s eyes were bright and eager. “Nova.”

Bellamy snorted, and Raven elbowed him in the ribs good-naturedly. “Only you would name your child after an explosion in space.” 

“Nova.” Clarke tried out, as she ran her finger over the cheek of the sleeping infant. “It suits her.”

“Damn right it does.” Raven smirked. “Is it my turn, yet? After _you_ give birth, I’m totally going to monopolize the newbie. Just you wait, Clarke.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

*

Though Clarke did eventually surrender Nova over to Raven so that she could feed her, it was weeks before the three of them would let anyone else in the camp hold her. 

“She’s my niece!” Octavia had complained petulantly.

“And she has three parents. One of whom is hormonal and nesting, and fiercely protective even when those things are not true. Does this surprise anyone?” Bellamy had answered. 

The first few weeks of Nova’s life passed in a haze of excitement and sleep deprivation. Though Nova seemed to spend most of her time sleeping and nursing, it didn’t stop Raven, Bellamy, and Clarke from good-naturedly jostling each other to decide who would get to hold her while she slept.

One morning, Bellamy awoke to find Clarke sitting slightly reclined in the bed, holding the sleeping Nova against her chest, so that her head was tucked right under Clarke’s chin. It wasn’t an uncommon sight — the newborn preferred to sleep slightly upright and in someone’s arms — but it never failed to make something in Bellamy’s chest clench. Seriously, if someone had told him during those first few weeks on the ground that he would be one day waking up to a very pregnant Clarke Griffin holding his newborn daughter? 

He’d had nine months to get used to the idea, but the feelings that went with it were still unexpected. To say the least. Unexpected, but entirely wonderful.

“Hey.” He whispered, careful not to wake Raven, who was halfway draped across his chest. Her inability to sleep on her stomach had frustrated Raven to no end, and she seemed to be making up for lost time, curling up on top of him like a cat whenever she could. 

“Hey.” Clarke answered, her eyes flicking up from Nova’s face for only a second.

“How long have you been awake?” 

“A few hours. Since Raven last fed her. I took her so that Raven could get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.”

“And you?” Bellamy asked. Clarke had barely slowed down in the last few weeks, determined to keep up with her job of running the camp and the camp’s medical centre, along with pulling what she considered to be “her share” in taking care of Nova. 

“I’m fine. I just wanted to spend some time with her. It’s starting to hit me that she’s not going to be the youngest for much longer and… I wanted to be able to give her my full attention for a little while.”

Bellamy really looked at Clarke’s face, then. She had dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes were glassy, as if she had been crying. As Bellamy watched, he saw Clarke’s body suddenly tense — anyone else probably would have missed it, but Bellamy had spent years studying Clarke’s body language.

“Christ, Clarke. Was that a contraction?” Bellamy asked quietly, trying to keep his voice calm. 

She nodded.

“How long?”

“Since last night.” She answered, still not meeting his eyes. “I didn’t want to wake everyone up, after what Raven went through with Nova’s birth. It could still be _days_.”

“Are they getting closer together?”

Clarke nodded again. “Yeah. And stronger.”

Bellamy breathed out through his mouth loudly. “This could be it, then.”

“Or it could be days.” She stated, resolutely. 

In the end, Bellamy wasn’t able to convince Clarke that she _shouldn’t_ go to work at the med-centre that morning, but Raven had just waved her hand dismissively. 

“It’s good for her to keep busy and moving, if this is really it. And she’ll be in the best place with Delia, if anything happens.”

Still, Bellamy was jumpy and on edge all morning, and he nearly jumped out of his skin when Harper came to find him in the early afternoon As he sprinted over to the med-centre, all he could think of was his mother, doubled over in pain as she gave birth to Octavia with only him as assistance. Of course, everything had turned out alright (as alright as things could be, knowing how everything had actually eventually _turned out_ ), but he had had nightmares for years about everything going _wrong_. 

When he threw open the door, expecting the worst, he nearly doubled over in relief at the sight of Clarke. She had her hands on her hips, and was glaring defiantly at Raven, who was holding Nova up high on her shoulder as she glared right back at Clarke.

_Just more of the same, then._

“Is everything okay?” He asked, careful.

“Clarke needs to leave.” Raven said, firm. “She’s in labor. For real.”

“I told you that I’m fine, Raven!”

“You don’t even have any patients right now. There is no reason that you need to be here.”

Clarke started to respond, but stopped short as her face suddenly twisted in pain. She leaned forward, resting her hands on the cot in front of her, and panting shallowly like he had watched Raven do just a few short weeks earlier. Immediately, Raven’s entire demeanour transformed, and she carefully juggled Nova so that she could support her against her shoulder with one hand, while she placed her other hand on Clarke’s back, rubbing gently. It seemed like an eternity passed before Clarke finally straightened back up, and when she finally did, the fight had vanished from her face. 

“I think,” she said, her face pale and drawn, “that I’m ready to go to the cabin, now.”

Octavia met them at the door. “I’m taking the baby.” Her voice left no room for argument. “I know that you three are all ‘mama bear’ over Nova, but Clarke needs you right now. I’ll bring her back to eat if she gets hungry.”

Raven looked like she was going to argue, and a sudden look of terror filled Clarke’s face, and _fuck, he hated when he had to be the adult_.

“C’mon,” he said, starting to lead them into the cabin. “Let’s see if we can get a bit of rest before things _really_ get started.”

Clarke chuckled quietly. “The last month is going to seem easy, soon.” She joked, and Raven laughed in agreement.

Once they were in the cabin, Bellamy carefully maneuvered Clarke over to the bed, sitting her down and gently removing her boots and pants. Clarke immediately rolled on to her side, curling slightly around herself, and Bellamy and Raven situated themselves on either side of her. 

She buried her face into Raven’s neck — a favourite position of hers, whenever she was feeling exhausted or overwhelmed — and so Bellamy had to strain to hear her when she spoke. “I don’t want to die.”

Bellamy’s head shot up, and he met Raven’s worried eyes over Clarke’s head. “You’re doing so well, Clarke. I know this is hard, but everything is going exactly the way that it should be.” He said carefully. He couldn’t promise that nothing bad would happen to her, and she knew it perfectly well.

“I know.” She said, quiet. “I just haven’t worried about dying in a really long time. For such a long time, my death just felt like such a _certainty_ , that I stopped thinking about it.”

She was quiet for a long minute, and Bellamy pressed his hand into the small of her back when she rode out another contraction, groaning softly into Raven’s neck. 

Finally, Clarke started to speak again. “I watched Octavia walk away with Nova, and all I could think was _I have to see her again_. I can’t die now, because I have to be here to watch her grow up.” She paused again, and Bellamy could feel the tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. “It’s the scariest thing I’ve ever felt in my entire life.”

Bellamy tightened his arms around Clarke, and he could feel Raven doing the same on Clarke’s other side. 

It was a terrifying feeling, knowing that he was going to spend the rest of his life fighting to return right back to this place.

*

Livia was born just before midnight.

Clarke was exhausted, pale and weak, and despite Raven’s teasing promise of a few weeks earlier, she immediately placed the warm little body on to Clarke’s bare chest, wrapping them both up in a blanket together. 

“You have to name her,” Clarke said to Bellamy, smiling widely despite her weariness. “It’s only fair, since I’m the one hogging all of the freshly-born baby snuggles.”

Bellamy was thoughtful, but it only took him a few moments to arrive at the perfect name — in fact, it had been on the tip of his tongue for months at this point. “Livia was the wife of Augustus. She was his trusted counsellor, and a strong woman who was able to influence politics in Rome. The name also comes from the Latin word ‘lividus’, which means ‘blue’.” He finished, looking down into the barely-open blue eyes of the sleepy newborn lying on Clarke’s chest. 

“It’s perfect,” Raven breathed quietly, as she reached out to run a single finger over the pale downy hair that covered Livia’s head. 

Clarke wasn’t sure how long they lay there; she dozed off almost immediately, and only woke when Raven began re-arranging Livia on her chest. 

“She’s hungry.” Raven stated, off of Clarke’s dazed half-asleep look, and suddenly Clarke was wide awake. “You’ll do fine.” Raven added, immediately. “I’ll help you, just like Bellamy and Delia helped me with Nova.”

Clarke took a deep breath to calm the nervous fluttering in her chest, and watched as Raven positioned Livia. To her amazement, the infant immediately opened her mouth widely.

“See? What did I tell you. She’s a total natural, just like her sister. Doesn’t hurt that you have some pretty big targets for her to hit.” Raven said, winking cheekily. 

The two watched the tiny newborn suckle for a few minutes, before Raven spoke again. “I was totally amazed the first time that Nova nursed. I think that I’ve just gotten so used to my body failing me, that I was stunned that I could not only create a baby, but also feed it.”

Clarke was silent for a moment. “People have been calling me the Commander of Death for so long, that even I started to believe it.” She said, soft. 

When Clarke finally looked up, Raven was smiling at her gently, and her own lips turned up in response. 

The door opened a moment later, and Bellamy stepped in, cradling Nova in one of his arms. Raven immediately reached out for the other infant, taking her and quickly getting her settled at her own breast.

“You two are so fucking cute that I was going to be leaking milk all over myself in another moment.” She said, gruff, but Clarke could see a misty sheen to her eyes in the dim light of the cabin. 

*

Raven’s voice was a quiet whisper in the darkness. “She’s finally out.” Her relief was almost tangible. 

“And now we have another hour or so until her sister will be awake and wanting to be fed.” Clarke didn’t bother opening her eyes as she spoke. She wasn’t sure if she even could open her eyes, actually.

The three of them might have thought that they were sleep deprived during the first few weeks of Nova’s life, but nothing could have mentally prepared them for the exhaustion that came with juggling a cluster-feeding two week old, and a grouchy baby in the middle of her six-week growth spurt. 

For several hours every evening, Livia would cry inconsolably. Clarke knew that it was a stage that would pass — knew all to well, in fact, because her older sister had just outgrown that particular stage a few days earlier. Even that knowledge did not make it easier, and after the third hour of Livia screaming — refusing even the food or sleep that she so desperately needed — Clarke had been on the edge of tears, not for the first time that day. 

As if she could sense the impending breakdown, Raven had quickly taken the screaming infant from Clarke’s arms, and passed over the older sibling. “Let’s switch.” Raven said, trying for a confident smirk.

Not that the hungry growth-spurting Nova was much better, but at least she would settle down to nurse and even actually sleep, as long as Clarke was holding her, and Livia was quiet. Clarke didn’t know how it was possible, but she knew that Nova had sensed the shift in their family. Just four weeks older than her sister, she had already gotten used to being the only child of three doting parents, and now Livia’s cries would wake her from a dead sleep, when nothing else would. “Sibling rivalry starts early.” Bellamy had said, sharing a wry grin with Octavia. 

“I thought that those first few weeks on the ground were bad,” Raven whispered, being careful not to disturb the two miraculously sleeping sisters between them. “I didn’t know it was actually possible to be this tired, and still be alive.”

Clarke forced her eyes open, and was immediately glad that she did. She and Raven were both lying on their sides in their bed, a baby nestled into the crook of each of their elbows. The tiny newborn in Raven’s arms was sleeping soundly, her chest rising and falling, as she let out the tiniest little baby snores. 

And Raven was absolutely captivated.

She ran her fingers over the fine dusting of blonde hair on Livia’s head, her eyes soft and enraptured as she watched the newborn sleep.

Clarke entirely understood that feeling. Her arm tightened around the sleeping infant next to her, almost reflexively, and when she looked up again, Raven was watching her. She looked exhausted, but there was a ghost of a smile on her face, and she stretched out one leg to gently nudge Clarke’s foot.

“Get some sleep.” Raven said, gently. “While we still can.”

Clarke had just closed her eyes again, when she heard the door open softly, and the quiet sounds of someone removing their boots and outerwear. 

“Of course, the guard scheduling emergency was magically resolved the very second that both babies are asleep.” Raven whispered, but there was no real bite to her words.

Clarke felt the bed dip behind her, and a warm weight settle against her back. She didn’t bother opening her eyes, but she could hear the smile in Bellamy’s voice. “You two seem to have it covered, though.”

Raven’s foot tapped against Clarke’s again, in wordless agreement.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's like the bonus features on a DVD (do people still buy DVDs? Am I dating myself?). Two fluffy vignettes that take place in the Triquetra universe, at around the same time as chapter 2. Not at all necessary for the main plot in any way. Or really necessary for anything? Whatever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wrote these as part of chapter two (they took place after what became the ending) but when I read the entire fanfic, this just felt out of place. I originally conceptualized chapter 2 as being a whole bunch of the first few months of Clarke/Bellamy/Raven as parents, but the tone changed a lot once I really got into it, and this didn't really work. But I still like it. :)
> 
> And I said I would post it on Tumblr, but I have no chill so I'm putting it up here as a sort of Chapter 2.5.

On the ground, it seemed to be customary to carry around babies using elaborately tied lengths of fabric. It made sense — Bellamy wasn’t exactly sure how else one would transport an infant through the forest. And so, when they received two of these pieces of fabric as a gift from the Commander herself, Bellamy had nearly been beside himself with excitement. 

“It’s wool,” Lincoln had remarked, impressed, as he gingerly ran one hand over the soft fabric. “The clans to the west of the mountains raise sheep, and weave fabric from their wool. It will be cool and airy in the summer, and hold in the warmth in the winter. This is a very generous gift from the commander.” 

Delia showed him how to tie the wrap and, for days Bellamy had wandered around camp with one baby or the other wrapped tightly against his chest. Both Nova and Livia slept quite soundly against his chest while he went about his job around the camp, and no one asked to hold the baby, when she was sleeping contentedly in the wrap. 

It was basically the perfect solution.

And it drove Raven crazy.

Raven seldom had the attention span for anything that she was not immediately good at (and let’s face it, there weren’t many things that she wasn’t immediately good at it - it was almost uncanny), but the patience required for the looping and tightening movements needed to successfully wrap a squirming infant? Absolutely not. 

Of course, Bellamy had barely even been surprised when he found Raven working in her shop a few days later, trying to forge a lightweight but strong, perfectly smooth ring that wouldn’t snag the delicate woven fabric when pulled through it. 

“It’s a sling.” She smugly proclaimed, as she tightened the fabric through the rings, snugly attaching Livia to her front. “I remember seeing some women in Polis using them, when we were there for the trade summit last year. I thought it would be faster and easier than tying all of those layers of fabric.”

Bellamy tried it out a few times, and he had to admit that it _was_ easier than tying a wrap, especially when the baby was fussy, and he was just in a hurry to _go_. 

Clarke, however, had a completely different take on the matter. It seemed like she picked up new ways to tie the wrap on an almost daily basis. Raven’s eyes had grown wide with envy the first time that she saw Clarke tending to a sprained ankle in the med-centre, with Nova sleeping contentedly on her back. 

It wasn’t really an argument — more of a battle of wills — but it was effectively ended on the day that Clarke and Raven had stepped out of their cabin to find Bellamy engaged in a conversation with Miller. Nova was secured to his back with the wrap, and gamely smiling at her sister, who was comfortably seated in the sling against his chest. And he was allover feeling like a complete badass.

Right up until the moment when Raven turned to Clarke with a smug grin. 

“Looks like he has it all under control. Afternoon nap?”

“Oh god, yeah.” Clarke said, looping her hand through Raven’s arm, as they retreated back into the cabin. 

Miller was never going to let him hear the end of that one. 

*

Clarke yawned widely and adjusted Nova and Livia in her arms carefully, trying to regain feeling in her fingers that had fallen asleep over an hour earlier. Nova cracked one eye open grouchily, and Clarke stilled immediately. _No such luck on that blood circulation._

Being careful not to jostle the two nursing babies, Clarke tried poking at Raven with her foot. The other woman did not so much as flinch. 

_This wasn’t even her “shift”._

The two infants — by virtue of being a month apart in age — rarely seemed to go through the same happy and grouchy periods at the same time. This ensured that they were almost _always_ dealing with at least one baby who seemed to hate them and the world. However, Nova and Livia were strangely in synch for this particular hellish phase. 

Awake and wanting to nurse every 45 minutes, and unable to tolerate even the slightest noise from the other one. _Perfect._

So far, Clarke and Raven had managed to divide up the night, each taking both girls for a few hours, so that the other could get a stretch of unbroken sleep. Bellamy provided whatever support that he could — transporting the girls between Clarke and Raven while one of them slept, and taking them with him when he was working around the camp, whenever it was possible. It was a good system, and Clarke even considered that they possibly had it even easier than many two-parent families. 

However, Raven had exhaustedly fallen asleep early tonight, and Clarke knew from experience that any attempt to wake her would be futile. 

Raven might not sleep _long_ , but she definitely slept _hard_.

Suddenly, Nova shifted in her sleep, and her mouth slipped off of the nipple. For a long moment, Clarke could only hold her breath as the infant frowned, grimaced, and finally let out a loud wail. Immediately, Livia’s eyes snapped open as well, and she joined her sister in voicing her displeasure. 

_Well, fuck this_ , Clarke thought, before abruptly reaching out and pulling down Raven’s shirt, tucking Nova in close to her body. Raven didn’t even move, as the infant abruptly quieted and began suckling. _One down._

A moment later, Livia was cradled in a similar position against Clarke’s own body, and similarly _quiet_.

Finally.

Before dropping off to sleep herself, Clarke nudged Bellamy awake. She gestured at Raven and Nova, and gave him a threatening glare. “This is _your_ responsibility,” she said, stern. 

Bellamy just chuckled, but he dutifully sat up slightly in the bed, moving his hand so that it rested lightly on Clarke’s waist. On her other side, Nova was already snoring quietly in Raven’s arms, and Raven shifted slightly to accommodate the sleeping infant. Of course, the dropship landing on their cabin wouldn’t wake Raven right now, but she was fully aware of the slightest movement of her daughter. 

And it was with that thought that Clarke finally dropped off to sleep, the edges of her mouth turned upwards in a smile.


End file.
